The Long March

Many birders would likely pick March as their least favorite month. It is sandwiched halfway between the freshness of January year-birding and the exhilaration of May. In most places, the list of rarities that choose March as their favored month to appear can be counted on one hand.

March does have its share of avian spectacles. Perhaps you live somewhere that massive rafts of Aythya ducks can be observed while hundreds of thousands of Snow Geese move overhead. The premier shorebird of the month is surely the American Woodcock, as it performs its rhythmic sky-dance at dusk. Overnight rainstorms can drop unexpected ducks on lakes and rivers.

However, many days in March seem just the same as the day before. We remain immersed with a varying number of the same birds that have been living with us all winter. When a warm day eventually comes, it is ephemeral with maybe only one new arrival, perhaps a Tree Swallow.

Thankfully, the month is almost over. We’re thrilled to introduce exciting new features in BirdingApp, that will throttle you forward into April and beyond.

A perfect place to discuss birding-related things that aren’t as relevant for local birders in the Nearby Chat. Share an interesting article in Bird News, or post a question in the Bird Identification chat. There’s even a chat to discuss optics and gear or for sharing news of exciting rare birds that may be farther afield.

Create a poll for your followers, or even for all BirdingApp users! These can be humorous; educational, such as a map or photo quiz, or you can just ask anything about birding that’s been on your mind.

We’ve made it possible to schedule a quick birding trip or event, without the need to create a formalized itinerary or route. Simply go to your schedule, click a date, and choose +New Event. You can then add a name, start and end time, and optionally a description and meeting point, and you’re done! These events can then be shared in a post or in the Nearby Chat, and booked with one click, so you’ll have an idea of how many people will be attending.

We are thrilled to introduce ABA rarity notifications in BirdingApp for supporters! Supporters will also be able to see all of the current ABA rarities plotted on a map. This will help you decide whether or not the drive is truly worth it for that next lifer.

To turn on the ABA alert notifications, go to Settings..Notifications..Regional Alerts.. and choose “All + ABA”. This will notify you whenever an ABA rarity appears at a new location in eBird.

We’ve introduced renewing and non-renewing subscription options for you to show your support and to help cover the costs of running the app. Please consider supporting BirdingApp!